Bon Thanksgiving and Thanksgivingukkah

Deciding to do more of the things I wanted to do and less of the things I didn't want to do, I realized I was on to something. It started to keep the noise out. And then it really did. And blew up so large that all the yesses (rather than the no's) became manageable (even when they didn't feel that way) and lovable and staying up late working was easy. And suddenly time opened up. 

What? Wait. How? 

It just did. 

Then there were so many beads and cakes, and Thai take-out containers (as well as roasted chicken bones) and did I tell you I've been volunteering, helping kids who are having trouble reading, learn to read? And taking a landscape design class? It's a lot. But it's all feeding into my master plan: my soul. And my soul is glad the design class is over tomorrow night right before the holiday rush, although it was super fun and I learned a lot!.

(Christmas orders coming up!)

And we're hosting Thanksgiving dinner again, my favorite dinner to cook. We do Fall really well in this house if Jim do say so himself. (I love that man.) 

On last year's menu was:

Sage Roasted Turkey with Shallot Madeira Gravy

Cornbread Stuffing with Prunes, Cippolini, Chestnuts & Thyme

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots with Honey

Mashed Purple Fingerlings & Fresh Garlic

Brussel Sprouts with Pecans

Butter Lettuce with Mandarin Oranges and Red Onion

Cranberry Kumquat Sauce

And a Plum Pie

This week I am in the studio, working with my new Bonbon Girls who will be helping me at our holiday events this season and finishing my final project for my landscape design class which ends tomorrow night.

And writing this blog post. And all kinds of other things. Until the hinges come off, it's all pretty good. 

Love, Me

Our Bonbon Oiseau Lookbooking Tumblr Page turned Four today! 

Holiday Season, Why Hath Thou Come So Early in Ten Easy Steps?

Thanksgiving-ukkah comes but once every 6000 years. I seem to have bitten off a lot here at the Bonbon International Headquatres. And whenever the going gets supah supah busy, I get distracted and decide to wing a really  unscientific baking session, yesterday's included pumpkin puree, orange flower water and almond/coconut flour. 

Then, in the last 24 hours, these ten things happened:

1. Worked on Bonbons for holiday orders, new methods introduced including beeswax and french knots.

2. Worked on my final Urban Landscape Design project, the BBG class that the great What Possessed Me made me take and now I am nervously trying to distinguish between types of big phallus-shaped hydrangea and apple trees that can be espaliered. Thanks P! It's still not finished and is totally unrealistic and not suitable for real live persons (can a human sit on a 9-inch bench?) but I am enriched I guess, and also very frustrated.

3. Organized my week but then quickly got disorganized in trying to get organized.

4. Ate 7 of the 12 Experimental Pumpkin-Orange Flower muffins.

5. Felt sick.

6. Fell asleep during Homeland. Heard Jim in the background saying things, like "HOLY SHIT!" and "NO WAY!!!!"

7. Dreamt I left the keys in the car in a parking garage in Southern Laos and then the car got stolen and I had to explain this to Jim and I lied and then I felt even worse and then some adventure ensued and then the cat was licking my hair again.

8. Remembered that, according to This American Life, no one cares about my dreams unless it's a shrink who gets excited about "Dream Work". What? What's that you say about boring self-indulgent droning? I CAN'T HEAR YOU SARAH KOENIG'S MOM?!

9. Made a count down list of everything that needs to get done before everyone comes to my house for Thanksgiving-Hanukkah-Sophie's birthday party. But not a list of what we can and can't talk about.

10. I have a lot of shit to do.

So before I begin I will just say, Those Muffins Were Great: 

PUMPKIN ORANGE FLOWER MUFFINS 

(that also happen top be gluten-free and delicious)

1 cup organic pumpkin pie mix--get the can from "Farmer's Market" that is already spiced--it's so good!

(if not add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cloves)

1/3 c. Melted coconut oil

1/8 c. honey 

1/3 c. maple syrup

3 eggs, whisked 

1 tsp vanilla 

optional- 2 tsp of orange flower water if you have it 

______________

 1/3 c. Coconut flour

 2/3 c. Almond meal

 1/2 tsp baking powder

 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 f.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then in a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Mix the two together--the batter should be a bit think, not runny. Fill little muffin cups 3/4 full and top with a pecan half, a drizzle of maple syrup and maybe if you want to get crazy a little sprinkle of demarara sugar. Bake for about 30-40 minutes. Let cool and be cool.

Cute little baking cups in an odd color for a pumpkin muffin, 

but nevertheless found on a 

way-of-killing-time-I-don't-really-have-shopping-trip at the Container Store.

 _________________________________________________________________________________

In other news--the studio is clean and humming happily away!

The cold fall light has been beautiful and the Nearly Impossible Conference last week was...

 Seth Godin and his infinite wisdom 

at the Nearly Impossible Conference

 James Victore and his infinite awesomeness 

at the Nearly Impossible Conference

 Expert Lab at Nearly Impossible

Nearly Impossible 2013 was two full days of full-on amazingness. I am still reeling at having met so many wonderful and inspiring people all in one room. I learned so much and gathered so much valuable information which was perfect for where my head was lurking these last last few months but mostly I am still here and even more super ready for everything.

Holidays orders, especially for Thanksgiving-Hanukkah should be in by Wednesday, November 20th!

That's just a few days from now, mes petits darlings so start perusing and deciding and tomorrow I'll give you an idea of where we'll be this holiday season so you can buy them live and in person from us in New York City! 

Online:

The Beads(which supports us and also a wonderful organization called Room to Read)

The MoneyClips and Fobs and Tieclips (some of which are monagrammable)

Buy any of these here and we'll wrap them so beautifully for you! 

Love, 

Bonbon

Have you been a modern day flaneur on our instagram? 

 God, I hope so.

Whatever it Takes and Where to Send Help for Philippines Typhoon Victims

I have been making these little paintings as daily meditations. This week they are coming out like this, in tiny petals.

The fleeting sense of time involved in making a watercolor has been rooting me in the present as I plan and design objects and jewelry for future seasons, often while thinking about the past. 

The other night an entire shelf of dishes came crashing down and all I had left were some little tin bowls I had loved the minute I saw them and brought them home to NY all the way from Paris. The ephemerality of objects, what makes a home, what are the things we use to occupy it combine things you hold in your heart yet some are just markers of what you think you need or who you are at a certain time in your life, and all of it can go away in a heartbeat or a crashing shelf, a strong wind and we have no choice but to let go. Love and hope is longer and stronger, like little tin bowls. My heart goes out to the people of the Philippines who have lost so much. 

Click here to see how you can help. We gave to Doctors Without Borders.